Selling a home can be challenging for many Main Line Real Estate professionals. However, for those real estate agents who have access to the proper tools, they may find that can increase the amount of real estate main line pa sales that they make each year. Choosing the right real estate on the main line tools is one of the essential keys to being successful in this area. This said, here are some great Philadelphia suburbs real estate tools that can be used to make and close a sale.

Deploy a Philadelphia main line real estate Website

Getting people to look at a specific piece of mainline real estate is essential keys to getting a sell. Therefore, people who are in the main line realty business will need to do whatever it takes to make sure that the property that they are responsible for selling can be easily seen and accessed on the Internet. By setting up a main line real estate for sale site that buyers can frequent on a regular basis, real estate agents will have access to hundreds to thousands of potential real estate buyers. Which means, the real estate website is one of the best tools that can be used to expedite a sell.

Create a Positive Web and main line Philadelphia real estate presence

In addition to designing a website and publishing it on the web, it is important for each business owner to make sure that they have a positive web presence. Specifically, when trying to attract a specific target audience to buy a home. Building a good web presence can be challenging, so it is important for each business owner to make sure that they have done a good job of marketing their main line pa real estate property. Some of the keys to increasing the business site’s web presence is to write articles for an online press release and managing a blog that can provide great information about how to sell real estate effectively.

Create A Real Estate Blog

While some people may stop at building the website and deploying it, others will go the extra mile by establishing a real estate blog that they can post information to. When the business owner takes the time out to publish quality information that is valuable to their visitors, they can also make themselves an authority on the topic of real estate. Therefore, if they want to sell a specific property as quickly as expeditiously as possible, they may want to ensure that their blog will also have a lot of activity. Thereby, allowing the real estate business to capitalize on the real estate blog as a useful marketing tool.

Though real estate is a challenging career to be in, there are tools of the trade that can be used to increase a real estate agents success. Some of the more commonly known today includes, establishing a successful website that potential buyers can visit, creating a positive web presence and setting up a real estate blog that will allow them to become an expert on the real estate area in mainland Philadelphia.

Getting up close and personal with your subjects through macro photography provides fresh new views and enhances your photo collections. Here´s a brief look at the ins and outs of macro photography along with considerations and tips.

Want a little extra oomph out of your photos? Start using the macro setting on your digital camera or invest in a macro lens for your SLR. By getting up close and personal, you’ll see the world in a whole new way and so will anyone viewing your images especially in areas such as Perth Australia.

What is Macro Photography?

Macro photography is more than zooming in for a close up. With macro photography, the photographer actually gets as physically close to the subject as possible with a goal of reproducing an image at a one to one (or closer) ratio. Because the focal length is quite short, it’s important to have a lens capable of achieving this type of magnification. Many of these techniques you can learn in online photography courses in Australia.

While purists apply the term macro to images that have a vi or closer ratio, you don’t necessarily need to get out your measuring tape and calculator to enjoy experimenting with your macro settings. It doesn’t matter what you call it if the image is stunning and one of the best ways to get incredible images is to get up close and personal.

What You Should Know about Shooting Macro Photos The depth of field at these ranges is far shallower than you may be used to. Because of this, it’s important to use the smallest F-stop possible for optimal crispness. Since you’ll be using a small aperture setting, lighting your subject becomes critical. However, a catch-n occurs. Your camera’s lens is often right up against the subject making adding light nearly impossible. You may need to compromise by settling for a wider aperture setting or getting creative with your light source.

Focusing is also critical because at this magnification, the slightest blur becomes a major distraction. The shallow depth of field can be your best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to shooting macro images. Use it to draw attention to your subject just as you would when shooting other images with shallow depths of field. Understand that you can minimize this effect by closing the aperture but doing so requires compensation in the form of more light or longer exposure times.

Since longer exposure times require complete stillness during exposure, use a tripod and a shutter cable (or timer) to ensure that the camera doesn’t move while taking the picture. If you’re using a digital camera, you will be able to see the results immediately and make adjustments as needed.

Uses for Macro Photography

Besides being fun, macro photography has a variety of uses. Imagine jazzing up your travel photos by including macro shots of the local currency or seashells on the beaches of Perth. Artists often use macro shots of flowers, fruits, and other subjects that they plan to paint. Macro photography also has its practical uses. For example, when taking a home inventory, take macro shots of serial and model numbers to further document your possessions. Selling products on eBay? Include macro images of details that either will entice buyers or inform them of the item’s condition.

The more you use macro photography, the more you’ll start seeing the world a little bit differently. Get up close and personal with your subjects and create stunning, intimate images.

Having breast augmentation comes with a lot of questions. Should I go the route of getting implants or a more natural method? Many women are now choosing to have a breast augmentation without surgery. This is because it can get rid of their problem areas as well as let them have the breasts they have always desired. Here are the benefits of getting breast augmentation by natural means.

One natural method of augmentation uses your body’s own fat. This is taken from areas where there is unwanted fat on your body. This can be your thighs, stomach, and many others areas. They suck out the fat with liposuction and then it is placed into the breast area for fuller, great looking breasts. You can find many of offices offering natural breast implants in Tucson Arizona.

One benefit of a naturally augmentation your breasts is they will feel natural. With breast implants sometimes they will not look as natural. This is because they often look stiff. Using fat from your own body helps the breasts look like you were born with them.

Another benefit is that transferring fat for a enhancing your bust nauturally does not interfere with a mammogram. Traditional implants do interfere. Mammograms are routinely required after a woman reaches the age of 40 so it’s great that they do not interfere with detecting medical conditions, such as breast cancer.

When you get regular breast implants they often leave scars. That is because they have to make open incisions in order to place them inside you. However, with a natural method large incisions are not involved so there are virtually no scars.

Not having to put foreign items into your body is another advantage to breast implants naturally. Unlike implants that were never part of your body, a natural breast augmentation uses fat that was already in your body. This eliminates the risks associated with foreign materials in your body.

One of the disadvantages of breast implants is they are often recommended to be replaced after ten years or so. With a natural breast enhancements such as found in Breast Augmentation In Tucson this is not required . This is because you are using your own fat that was already in your body before the augmentation. Changes in shape may occur due to pregnancy or gaining weight but otherwise another procedure is not needed.

Lastly, a great benefit is that you don’t have to worry about it deflating like implants. There is also no chance that it will leak since it’s not an implant but fat from your body. This is a much safer option because the material in implants can cause health issues if it leaks into your body.

There are so many benefits to enhancing your breasts naturally. These include having breasts that feel and look natural, they do not leave scars like normal implants, they don’t interfere with mammograms, you do not have to put anything foreign into your body, and they do not leak or deflate. Naturally augmenting the size of your breasts is a big decision. By looking at all the advantages you will be able to figure out if this procedure is right for you.

As a medical biller you will be given an important office position, where you will be actively contributing to the health care industry. Your job will entail a number of responsibilities and you will often be the liaison between patients, medical institutions and various insurance companies.

The job description for medical biller is best suited for an individual who can pay close attention to minute details. It will be your responsibility to complete insurance invoices, review the information and then submit these forms to the appropriate agency. In today’s medical world there are HIPPA rules about obtaining, releasing and transmitting personal information. These submissions must be done electronically and you will need to make certain that all of the data and signatures are in the correct places.

A medical billing specialist will often be found working in a physician’s office or at a large hospital. However these jobs are also available in numerous health care related facilities such as a free-standing medical clinic, a nursing home, rehab center or physical therapy office. There is an increasing need for individuals with the necessary skills to handle the billing between health care providers and health insurance agencies. Sometimes the job requirements of a medical biller and coder will be combined together.

The duties for medical billers could include the following tasks

Reviewing patient bills for accuracy

Reviewing claims that are sent directly to Medicare/Medicaid

Checking to make sure that proper payments have been received

Resolving any billing discrepancies

Checking insurance policies for any secondary/tertiary benefits

Helping patients understand their insurance benefits plan

Calculating the amount that the patient might be charged for health care services

Tracking and resolving any unpaid insurance claims

Skills needed to become a medical biller

Broad, detailed knowledge of insurance payment guidelines

Ability to do research online (regarding payment benefits)

Interpersonal skills to deal with the public

Multi-tasking capability

Computer skills

Knowledge of medical coding

Familiarity with various medical billing software programs

You should be comfortable working with computers and interacting with others. This job will require you to think on your feet. You should be organized and efficient. Much of the day you will be sitting at a desk, but you may need to file papers, retrieve necessary documents and have an eye for details.

Depending upon your employer the job assignments could even require you to occasionally function as a receptionist or help with other office tasks. The majority of the time your duties will be completely focused on making sure that the billing invoices are being completed properly and submitted in a timely manner.

Education

You should have a HS diploma or GED

Completion of a Medical Billing Training Course

An Associate’s Degree in Business Administration (ora comparable field)

Experience

It is helpful to have at least 6 months-1 year of office experience that involved working in a health care setting such as a doctor’s office or hospital.

Medical Billing as a Life Career

This field is growing at a rapid pace and offers many opportunities for individuals who want to choose medical billing as their career. In most situations this is a job with standard Monday-Friday (9-5 or 8-4) scheduling requirements.

The average salary for medical billing associates is $14/hr. Average yearly salary is $30,000-$45,000. Some jobs will include profit sharing, stock options, retirement programs and other perks.

Hosted PBX

It was only two weeks ago, my partner and I were talking about the phone system we had in our office. It was not working very well and there had to be something better. We started looking into a hosted PBX system (also called virtual PBX, cloud PBX, VOIP phone service, etc. etc.) and found that there were lots of benefits to using them including cost, reliability and usability. There were a lot of different systems available but after some searching we decided to go with BroadConnect.com’s system and I have never looked back due to the features, costs and support that BroadConnect offered.

What is a PBX System?

For people that don’t know what a PBX system is or a hosted PBX system is then here’s an explanation. A PBX system is a private telephone network that connects our internal phones within a business network. A cloud PBX system is a cloud based system that allows remote access to the PBX system from any device that I or anyone in the business has. We started using an on-site system when I first started out in business but there are a lot of benefits to using a VOIP phone service system that I have found out first hand.

BroadConnect System Overview

There were a number of different options available but the BroadConnect system had benefits that the others didn’t. They have a number of different systems such as hosted PBX, SIP trunking, hosted call center and more but the cloud PBX was what I was looking for. The reason I purchased it was firstly the features that they offered and then I saw other reviews that really backed up my hunch. They offered a 100% fully customizable system, 99.999% uptime and data centers around the world. That is exactly what I needed and was a lot better than other services.

Getting Started

Getting started with BroadConnect’s system was easy. I gave them a call and told them exactly what I needed. They were helpful on the phone and told me things that made my options even better. They then sent me a proposal which was a detailed overview of my custom system and it was exactly what I needed. Finally, when I agreed to everything, my system was installed, they trained my staff and everything ran perfectly smooth. The whole process was very fast and within a week I had the system installed and had continuous support whenever we need it.

How it Works

Their VOIP business phone system just works, making sure my business runs smoothly. It is so different compared to any other system I’ve ever tried. With our last system, which was hosted in-house, each person had their own phone and if they weren’t at their phone then they were stuck. With the new Hosted system the extensions are connected to the employee rather than the phone itself which allows employees to redirect calls to different devices anywhere round the world. The BroadConnect system also allows employees to have multiple numbers and they will always get calls to their specified device which makes everything a lot easier than with the old system. It works by having the employees connected to the system whether it be in the office or on devices of their own. When a call comes in or goes out, the BroadConnect system routes the call across the internet securely to the right place. This was all explained by a BroadConnect employee and is really easy to understand and use.

Benefits

There are a lot of benefits to this which I have found out, the main of which being cost benefits, reliability, management , and flexibility. The BroadConnect system has more benefits and features to other systems which are why we selected it. One of the benefits we found to allow us to work better was the benefit of allowing our employees and offices to use a single number wherever they were. They also offer some of the most up to date software and hardware that are available in the industry. With the system being hosted on the BroadConnect servers, it allows easy management of the system with an administrative panel and makes it so we don’t need any technical managers on site or any hardware investments. There are no downsides to using it. It allows me to save money and make the business run smoothly with ease.

Conclusion

Overall I would recommend this service to anyone, it has helped us to work better and make sure that we can focus on our business rather than upgrading systems and hardware maintenance. Broadconnect is an established player in this industry with over 20 years of Telecom experience. Even though we had so many options I wouldn’t change this system for anything, the fact that two weeks ago we had an on-site system that didn’t work as well as we wanted and now we have a hosted system shows how easy it is to get used to and install across devices. If you need a system like this or currently have a PBX system I would recommend you give BroadConnect a try.

The Latest Local News from the Cedartown Standard

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has fined the Atlanta Falcons, stripped the organization of a draft pick and suspended team president Rich McKay from the league’s Competition Committee beginning April 1 following the team’s use of fake noise at home games.

In statement released Monday, the league announced that the Falcons have been fined $350,000 and will forfeit their fifth-round selection in the 2016 draft. If the Falcons have multiple picks in that round, the highest selection will be forfeited.

The NFL noted throughout the 2013 season and into the 2014 season the Falcons violated league rules that state “at no point during the game can artificial crowd noise or amplified crowd noise be played in the stadium.”

The league also said Roddy White, the team’s former director of event marketing, was directly responsible for the violation and would have been suspended without pay for the first eight weeks of the 2015 regular season had he still been with the club. The Falcons fired him.

The league determined that Falcons ownership and senior executives, including McKay, were unaware of the use of an audio file with artificial crowd noise. But as the senior club executive overseeing game operations, McKay bears some responsibility for ensuring that team employees comply with league rules. McKay can petition Commissioner Roger Goodell for reinstatement to the committee no sooner than June 30.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank told The Associated Press in early February that he had seen enough of the NFL’s investigation to acknowledge wrongdoing by his club.

“It’s not really a fine line,” Blank told the AP. “I think what we’ve done in 2013 and 2014 was wrong. Anything that affects the competitive balance and fairness on the field, we’re opposed to, as a league, as a club and as an owner. It’s obviously embarrassing but beyond embarrassing it doesn’t represent our culture and what we’re about.”

The Falcons say 101 of 103 games have been sellouts since Blank bought the team in 2002. Actual turnouts declined during losing seasons the last two years.

Atlanta ranked 10th among the 32 NFL teams with its average home attendance of 72,130 in 2014. Construction is underway for a new $1.4 billion stadium that will replace the Georgia Dome in 2017. The new stadium will have a similar seating capacity.

The Latest Local News from the Cedartown Standard

The City of Cedartown has opened a bidding period for the first round of remodeling at One Door Polk for the expansion of Highland Rivers into portions of the former hospital it plans to use for healthcare-related services.

Cedartown city manager Bill Fann said the remodeling project will cover some 22,000 square feet of space, and bids will be due before the four week deadline. Fann said the city will be opening bids later in the month after the April 24 deadline to see which contractor comes in as the low bidder.

Prior to that, those who submitted bids or plan to submit bids will be given an opportunity to tour the space and figure out costs.

Much of the work on the old hospital space, Fann said, will be centered around making the space work for Highland Rivers.

“It’s just odd and assorted demolition,” Fann said. “We’ll be moving a wall here and changing out a doorway there, making some of the bathrooms ADA (American’s with Disabilities Act) compliant.”

Fann said a number of the bathrooms at One Door Polk will actually be removed during the remodeling process, allowing for more service space overall compared to the previous layout of the hospital. Fann explained the need for individual patient bathrooms as part of the former hospital infrastructure won’t be needed. Their removal will help with the cost savings for utilities, since the building won’t require as much water use.

Fann said some contractors in the area have already submitted their sealed bids for the coming project – which will get underway this year – and hopes more submissions come in before the mid-April deadline.

“We want as many local general contractors to bid on the project as possible, because we’d love to keep this project local,” Fann said.

One Door Polk’s latest announced tenant, Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Adult Education Program, will require renovations as well. Fann said those will be handled once the project for Highland Rivers is completed. Until then, the Adult Education Program will remain in their building owned by the Polk School District.

The former Polk Medical Center facility on North Main Street was taken over by the City of Cedartown in 2014 following the hospital’s move to its new facility on Highway 278 at Kelly Road.

Besides Highland Rivers, Primary Healthcare remained as feature tenants of the facility.

The Latest Local News from the Cedartown Standard

The sun is coming out today as the National Weather Service calls for the clouds to clear out by this afternoon and bring temperatures up to the high 60s for the day and bringing along sunshine for Tuesday as well, but a chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms.

Today’s forecast starts out with a 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before 1 p.m. Cloudy early, then gradual clearing, with a high near 68. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 8 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Thursday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 79.

Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

The Latest Local News from the Rome News

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama coach Nick Saban has dismissed Jonathan Taylor from the team following the second domestic violence arrest of the defensive lineman’s college career.

Saban announced the decision on Sunday, a day after Tuscaloosa police arrested Taylor when a woman reported she was assaulted by her boyfriend. Taylor signed with the Crimson Tide about six months after his dismissal from Georgia following his arrest in a girlfriend’s assault.

“Jonathan Taylor has been dismissed from the team and is no longer a part of our program,” Saban said in a statement released through the athletic department. “This will still need to go through the legal process, but when he was given an opportunity here, it was under strict guidelines and we made it clear there was a zero tolerance policy.”

University spokeswoman Deborah Lane said Sunday that Taylor has been referred to judicial affairs.

The 6-foot-4, 335-pound lineman was dismissed from Georgia in July 2014 following his arrest on aggravated assault and family violence charges.

Taylor played last season at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi. He was also one of four Georgia players arrested in March 2014 for receiving double payments for checks of $71.50 issued by the school’s athletic department.

Alabama athletic director Bill Battle said the university and athletic department had “set forth very clear standards of accountability and expectations of conduct” for Taylor.

“Jonathan was afforded a chance to successfully overcome the difficulties that resulted in his departure from the University of Georgia,” Battle said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it appears that he was unable to do so, in spite of extensive efforts to assist him.

“All of us hope that Jonathan and the young lady involved can deal constructively with the issues that led to this situation, and their aftermath, so that both of them can have productive, healthy futures.

“Violent conduct by any representative of the University of Alabama athletics department will not be tolerated. More than ever, we take seriously the responsibility that all of us have to represent our university and our state in the best way possible — in competition and in daily life.”

The Latest Local News from the Cherokee County Herald

Centre Rotary Club meets at noon on the second floor of First Southern State Bank on Main Street in Centre.

The local Party Bridge Club meets Mondays at Cherokee Manor. For information call 256-927-7754.

Easter Holy Week Services begin on Monday. Monday services will be held at Centre First Baptist Church with the Rev. George Cobb bringing the message; Tuesday services will be held at Tates Chapel Baptist Church with the Rev. Wendell Dutton bringing the message; Wednesday services will be held at Centre First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Lynn Houston bringing the message; Thursday services will be held at Fairview United Methodist Church with the Rev. Greg Higgins bringing the message and Friday services will be held at St. Mary’s United Methodist Church with the Rev. Eddie Nation bringing the message. The weekday service time is noon (30 minutes for service, 30 minutes for lunch)

THE HUBERT COX MEMORIAL SINGING SCHOOL will be held in the Lookout Mountain Baptist Association Building March 30-April 2 beginning at 6 p.m. Everyone is welcome including beginners, directors, choris, special singers and music lovers. Teacher will be Dylan Feezel. The singing school will be free of charge. Call 256-505-1631 for further information. The event is sponsored by the Lookout Mountain Baptist Association.

In high school baseball action, the Mountain Brook Spring Break Tournament will be held with Cedar Bluff playing Clay-Chalkville at 5 p.m. and Cedar Bluff playing Mountain Brook beginning at 7 p.m. In high school softball action Cherokee County plays Piedmont at Saks beginning at 4:30 p.m. and the Spring Garden at Glencoe Tournament, TBA.

The Latest Local News from the Rome News

The toilet wasn’t new, but it was good and it would have made a fine addition to Ida Brown’s house. Instead it sat outside on a cold, winter’s night.

“It rained and then it froze and then it cracked,” Brown said. “Our dump doesn’t take stuff like this.”

Brown was one of hundreds who went Saturday to the Free Residential Dump Day at the old Lindale Mill, disposing of old toilets, washers and TVs for free. Vehicles breezed through when the collection began, but started to line up as the day progressed. At one point the line extended along South First Street and onto Park Avenue.

Michael Skeen, the county’s Public Works director, estimated that 10 bins — each 30-cubic yards — were filled. That’s about 25 tons worth of junk.

“We’ve had these for years, and we’ve never had the turnout that we had from this one,” Skeen said.

Skeen wants the next dump day to happen in June. He’s looking at the Shannon area, but has made no specific plans.

Chase Dover waited about 15 minutes Saturday before he got close enough for volunteers to pull an old microwave and other refuse from his vehicle.

“It’s a bunch of junk, really,” Dover said. “If I took this up to the landfill, it’d be about $30.”

Anna Stanley, who worked at the event, counted Dover’s vehicle as it passed. She said 270 vehicles drove by her checkpoint by 11:55 a.m. By then the line was onto Park Avenue.

“I think it’s a good idea,” she said. “It’d keep the community cleaner.”

Both Dover and Brown said they’d return to a future cleanup day.

“This is great,” Brown said. “I wish they’d have this more often. I could have probably filled this car and another.”

The Latest Local News from the Rome News

The conviction of a Silver Creek man in a case of sexual assault on an inmate at the Floyd County Jail is seen by officials as a new stand against predatory behavior at the facility.

Jail Administrator Bob Sapp said the successful prosecution of Charles Ladell Akins, 35, is evidence of the how the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office approaches such acts against inmates.

“Hopefully his conviction and forthcoming sentence will send out a strong message to anyone who would commit predatory acts within the Floyd County Jail that we will not tolerate predatory behavior of any kind and intend to investigate and prosecute each instance to the fullest extent of the law,” Sapp said in a statement.

Akins was convicted of false imprisonment, terroristic threats and acts, possession of drugs by an inmate, sexual battery and one count of aggravated sodomy in Floyd County Superior Court on Wednesday.

The charges stem from an incident that happened in the two men’s cell on May 30, 2014, after a lockdown.

According to jail officials, Akins climbed into the 23-year-old victim’s bed and grabbed him, choking him and threatening to hurt him if he cried out or resisted.

The victim confided in a family member by phone later that day. That person then reported the assault to the sheriff’s office.

Akins’ sentencing is scheduled for May 5 following a pre-sentence investigation.

He could potentially be sentenced to life, Sapp said.

“People don’t really hear about it, and it’s not a pretty business, but if it was someone you care about, you wouldn’t want it to happen to them,” Sapp said.

“We have a legal obligation and duty to protect inmates held within the jail’s walls, just as we do for our citizens who live outside the jail’s walls, in the free world,” Chief Deputy Tom Caldwell said in a statement.

Sapp said standard operating procedures in the jail include protocols that make security of inmates an important duty for deputies.

Precautions include face-to-face roll call and having personnel in areas where they are immediately available for assistance and video monitoring.

This incident that led to Akins’ conviction happened in a maximum security area of the jail, according to Sapp, and the victim was being held on a probation violation.

“Those are held mostly in maximum security because they are being held for another agency and cannot bond out,” Sapp said.

No other active cases of sexual assault are being investigated at the jail, according to Sapp.

The victim has been boarded out to another facility and is no longer being held at the Floyd County Jail.

The Latest Local News from the Rome News

Monday’s Roman Record Small Business Snapshot is focused on a new dentist in town. Dr. Kazem Sadati has established his practice at 103 Elliott Drive Drive, at the end of a small strip commercial center.

Sadati purchased the practice of Dr. H. Wendell Vandine.

The Word on the Street column features details about Lavender Mountain Hardware and Garden Center, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Only three real estate transactions valued in excess of $100,000 were recorded in the Floyd Superior Court last week.

The largest transaction involves the sale of a home at 8 Amberwood Trail for $200,000.

Roman Record appears inside the Rome News-Tribune every Monday and contains a wealth of information available from public sources.

The Latest Local News from the Rome News

The South Rome Early Learning Center won’t be a head start, it will be a jump start, according to one of the organizers.

Jacqueline McDowell, dean of the Charter School of Education and Human Sciences and professor of education at Berry College, has been a key part in the development of the center to be housed at the new Anna K. Davie Elementary School.

Now that the school is about to be handed over to Rome City Schools and is set to open in August at the start of the new school year, McDowell has started taking applications.

“We started enrollment March 1,” she said. “There is room for 20 3-year-olds in the first classroom. If we have more demand, we plan to open another class in December.”

The applications are available by emailing srlec@berry.edu or by calling 706-236-2247. First preference will be given to children in the Anna K. Davie enrollment area, but they do plan to open spots to other enrollment areas in Rome City Schools if there are spaces available after June 1, said McDowell.

“Michael Buck, Rome’s superintendent, doesn’t want any empty seats,” said McDowell. “We are very, very excited about that. We are starting slow with just one classroom and will grow as we can. Our ultimate goal is to have three classrooms with 60 children, total.”

As soon as the school building is made available, which is expected to be sometime in mid-April, McDowell and the staff for the early learning center will begin moving furniture in and decorating, she said.

“We also plan to have open houses in April, May and June,” said McDowell. “We want to introduce the community to the school and hopefully inspire interest.”

Each class will be staffed by a full-time teacher, a full-time teacher’s assistant and college-student assistants.

A lead teacher, Allyson Chambers, has already been hired for the first class. Ann Tankersley, director of Berry College’s Child Development Center, will serve as director at the South Rome center as well. Kirsten Lund will serve as an office manager and community liaison, McDowell said. They are still searching for an assistant teacher.

“We are interviewing as we speak,” McDowell said. “We will hire another lead teacher and assistant teacher when we add another room.”

Financial support is available for families, she said.

“Tuition is based on the family’s ability to pay and includes breakfast, lunch and snacks,” she said. “Some scholarships are available based on family size and income.”

A baseline for tuition has not been established.

“We want to keep it as low and as within reason as possible,” said McDowell. “We are a not-for-profit, but we felt it is important that some contribution from the families was made. We will work with all of the families to make sure they only pay what they can afford.”

McDowell said she feels that the benefits of the early learning center will be huge for the school system and the community.

“It is probably the most unique education reform initiative I’ve ever been involved with,” she said. “This partnership between a private college, a public school and a community organization is unheard of.” The South Rome Redevelopment Corporation is also a partner in the project.

The new Anna K. Davie Elementary at the corner of South Broad and East Main streets is being built with $11 million in education local option sales tax project, is set to open in August 2015.

The Latest Local News from the Cherokee County Herald

CEDAR BLUFF – Cherokee County High School junior outfielder Noah Hubbard was the unlikeliest of heroes Saturday night in the Cherokee County Baseball Tournament championship.

Coming off a stomach virus, not to mention the issues Hubbard has with his blood sugar spiking, almost made Cherokee County head coach Skylar Ray decide to keep him on the bench for the Warriors’ county title battle with Cedar Bluff.

Ray sure is glad he was convinced otherwise.

With the game tied at six and two outs in the ninth inning, Hubbard delivered a walk-off infield single to short with the bases loaded, scoring Jy Lockridge from third to lift the Warriors (9-5) to a dramatic 7-6 come-from-behind victory.

“Coach Ray is kind of sketchy about playing me, but I was pretty confident I could play today,” Hubbard said. “I was pretty confident in the (batter’s) box. I was relaxed. I was pretty sure I was going to get a hit.”

Ray said he couldn’t think of anyone better who deserved such a clutch opportunity to be a hero.

“He’s been big for us,” Ray said. “I actually talked to his mother to see if he was good to go because he got real sick the other night. He come through. He didn’t get a whole lot of work at practice because he’s been sick, but he just finds a way to get a job done.”

Hubbard wasn’t the only Warrior to find a way to get a job done. They rallied from a 6-4 deficit in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game and send it to extra innings.

In the seventh, second baseman Jaren Lockridge delivered a double down the left field line against Tiger reliever Jake Mintz to begin the Warrior rally. He scored on catcher Colin Brewer’s single to center. Brewer then stole second and scored the tying run on Jy Lockridge’s single to left center to force extra innings.

Warrior senior reliever Riley Miller, who came in for relief in the top of the seventh, held the Tigers (13-6) scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings to set the stage for Hubbard’s heroics in the bottom of the ninth.

“I think their guys did a great job, especially at the end, of finding ways to keep at-bats alive,” Cedar Bluff coach Taylor Talbot said. “We just didn’t make plays. I thought our pitchers made good pitches. We had a couple of chances to get out of the inning there, but we didn’t do it. Good teams are going to hurt you for it. They’re a young team, but they’re a good team. We just didn’t make plays tonight and it bit us. Hopefully we’ll rebound from it and move on. A tip of the cap to them tonight.”

In the bottom of the ninth, Jaren Lockridge led off with a single to right off Mintz, but a chopper to third by Brewer resulted in a 5-4-3 double play. However, as Talbot mentioned, back-to-back Tiger miscues off the bats of Jy Lockridge and Caleb Ransum gave the Warriors new life with runners at first and second. The Tigers intentionally walked Miller to load the bases for Hubbard.

“We couldn’t ask for it to happen any better than it did,” said Miller, who earned the win. “He come up with a big hit and that’s what it comes down to a lot of times, the small things. That put us over the top and got us the win.”

Equally as important as Hubbard’s hit was Miller’s ability to hold the Tigers scoreless in extra innings, giving the Warriors the opportunity to win.

“It’s been like this every county tournament I’ve played in,” said Miller. “It’s come down to the wire and we’ve come up a little short, but this year, somehow we got it in us to come out with it.”

The Warriors took control early on, scoring two runs in the first and two more in the second to take a 4-1 lead.

The Tigers scratched a run across in the third and tied the game at four with two runs in the fifth. Cedar Bluff took its first lead of the game in the sixth. First baseman Jansen Teague doubled to left center field off Warrior relief pitcher Preston Grimes. Dalton Richardson came in to pinch run for Teague and later scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.

After Mintz struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth, Cedar Bluff added an insurance run to go up 6-4. The Tigers loaded the bases with one out with Teague back up to the plate again Miller. Teague tallied a single to left to score Joe Bradfield, who was pinch running for designated hitter Cy Burt. Burt led off the inning with a walk.

“We had momentum, but then they took it from us,” Ray said. “We kind of laid down, but I looked over and told them ‘If you lay down, this group will kick you in the teeth.'”

But the Warriors were able to prevent that from happening by tying the game in the seventh to force extra innings, and ultimately winning the county title.

Jaren Lockridge was 4-for-5 with a double for the Warriors. Brewer went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Miller was 2-for-3.

Teague led the Tigers at the plate by going 3-for-5. Mintz, who suffered the loss after working four innings, was 2-for-5. Anthony Dingler went 2-for-4 with a two-run single in the fifth.

“We’ve got a lot of good, mentally tough kids, and so do they,” Talbot said. “It just came down tonight to they made a few more plays than we did. There had to be a winner. We just came out on the short side of it tonight.”

Added Ray: “Nobody should hang their heads from this game. Every one of these kids – on our team and on their team – fought their guts out.”

The Latest Local News from the Cherokee County Herald

CEDAR BLUFF – The Spring Garden Lady Panthers had always been a bridesmaid when it came to playing in the Cherokee County Softball Tournament, but after Saturday’s 2015 tournament championship, they are a bridesmaid no longer.

The Lady Panthers earned their first county title with a 9-5 victory over Sand Rock at Cedar Bluff, ending the eight-year reign of the Cherokee County Lady Warriors.

“I told them I was so proud of them. It’s a wonderful feeling,” Spring Garden head coach Ann Welsh said. “It seems like we’ve been there and been so close for so long, but finally, it’s our turn and I’m very excited. This is a great group of girls. They work hard. They have great attitudes. They have a desire to win and they deserve this.”

But it wasn’t an easy path for the Class 1A, No. 7 Lady Panthers (5-3). They had to defeat Class 3A Sand Rock (8-5) on back-to-back days to earn the prize. Spring Garden defeated Sand Rock 7-4 on Friday, which sent the Lady Wildcats to the losers bracket.

Sand Rock opened Saturday with a 14-2 victory over Cherokee County in four innings, setting up Saturday’s rematch with the Lady Panthers.

Spring Garden jumped out quickly to a 3-0 advantage in the top of the first inning. Starting pitcher Madison Sides delivered a two-run double. AJ Broome brought Sides home on a sacrifice fly to center.

Sand Rock countered with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the first. Courtney Williams connected on a two-run single to center. She later scored on an error to tie the game.

The Lady Wildcats took the lead in the bottom of the second. Four consecutive singles chased Sides from the game in favor of Kerstin Bryant. The last Lady Wildcat single was delivered by Madalyn Oliver, who belted an RBI-shot to center. The other Sand Rock run was scored on a fielder’s choice, giving the Lady Wildcats a 5-3 advantage.

But Spring Garden didn’t back down. The Lady Panthers took advantage of three Lady Wildcat errors and a walk to Payton Traffanstedt in the inning and scored a pair of runs on a Broome shot to left that was misplayed.

“We put the ball in play,” Welsh said. “They were hard shots, and they had a little trouble fielding some of those. They never quit hitting. They never laid down, even when we got behind. We’ve worked on moving runners into scoring position and now we’re scoring them. We’re not leaving them out there.”

Sand Rock coach Josh Bates felt his teams miscues were the difference in the game.

“We talked about that before we came here. You can’t make mistakes against a good team like Spring Garden,” Bates said. “We made some mistakes we don’t normally make. They hit some shots at us, and that was the difference in the ball game. They didn’t make the mistakes we made. They capitalized on our mistakes, and that’s what good teams do.”

Bryant managed to hold the Lady Wildcats scoreless the rest of the way to earn the win in the circle. She gave up five hits and had a pair of strikeouts in relief of Sides.

“She’s been pitching excellent,” Welsh said of Bryant. “I don’t know if it’s a comfort thing or changes in defense seem to be stronger or what it is, but she’s got a lot of confidence right now. Our defense kind of settled down when she got in there for whatever reason.”

Bryant also helped the Lady Panthers out at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a double.

“I think after the game slowed down a little bit, that’s what got us going,” Bryant said. “We’ve been working really hard at practice on hitting. Every day, we hit off the tees, we hit out in the cage and hit on the field. Everybody does their part to get on base and do what they have to do to move runners.”

Spring Garden managed two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth for the final to clinch their long-sought-after county title.

“It sets a tone,” Welsh said. “It gives them the confidence that I think we’ve been looking for. You can only get that second place so many times.”

Sides had a pair of hits, including a two-run double. Traffanstedt had a double, a single and a walk. Broome and Payton McGinnis added a hit apiece.

Sides and Bryant both think winning a county championship will serve as confidence the rest of the season and beyond.

“I think this going to be great for our team,” Side said. “It’s really going to give us a lot more energy.”

Added Bryant: “Nobody on our team has ever won this before, and that’s a big deal for all of us. We’re all real young. Hopefully we’ll go on to win more.”

Williams led Sand Rock at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a double and drove in two runs. Madison Allen and Katelyn Hanson both added a pair of singles. Madison McCullough had a double.

Magen Rich suffered the loss after working five innings. Kaitlyn Dodd worked the sixth and seventh.

“We came in and played pretty well, but Spring Garden’s got a quality team and they’re going to make a lot of noise in 1A,” Bates said. “They’re tough to beat. We lost to a good opponent.”